Author: Andres-Papazian

RELIGIOUS SERVICES SHOULD BE CONDUCTED IN ALL TURKEY’S CHURCHES

news.am
Oct 22 2010
Armenia

In the course of his official visit to Turkey President of Germany
Christian Wulff attended religious service in St. Paul church of Tarsus
(Cilicia).

German President and his spouse, Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, bishop of the Syriac Orthodox
Church in the province of Adiyaman Melki Urek, as well as Superior
of the Franciscan Community in Mersin Roberto Ferrari attended the
liturgy, Anadolu news agency reported.

Christian Wulff was met by vice governor of Mersin province, Tarsus
Mayor, chairman of the province’s trade-economic chamber and other
officials.

Talking to the journalists, Wulff stressed that religious services
should be conducted in all churches of Turkey if the liturgies are in
demand. “It also refers to this church, as these temples were built
in III, IV and V centuries when Christianity was spread,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

DENIED WORK PERMIT, 500,000 FOREIGNERS WORKING ILLEGALLY IN TURKEY

Today’s Zaman
Oct 22 2010
Turkey

Photo: Many Chinese workers are employed by Turkish mine and
construction companies because they will work for lower salaries.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Turkish
state annually gives work permits for nearly 10,000 workers, but it is
known that there are still around 500,000 foreigners who are working
without work permits since the ministry is reluctant to sanction
employment for foreign workers.

Recent remarks by Minister of Labor and Social Security Omer Dincer,
who complained about requests from some companies for work permits for
their Chinese workers employed in Turkey, once again brought Turkey’s
foreign worker issue to the agenda. “When unemployment is one of the
main problems in Turkey and when the same job can be done by a person
in Turkey, it would be injustice for our citizens to allow foreigners
to work in those jobs,” said Dincer on Wednesday. The minister said
more and more business owners have been requesting that the ministry
grant work permits to their Chinese workers. In response to these
petitions, Dincer said the ministry’s excuse was that each of the
jobs given to Chinese workers could be done by workers in Turkey.

The Turkish state does not want to employ foreign workers taking into
consideration the high unemployment rate of the country, but although
not officially confirmed, nearly 500,000 foreign workers are known
to be working illegally in Turkey.

Police and the gendarmerie capture nearly 60,000 illegal workers each
year in Turkey. The majority of illegal workers come to Turkey from
the Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Bulgaria, China, Romania and
Armenia. Thousands of illegal Armenian immigrants, mostly women from
the impoverished countryside, work as cleaning ladies and in other
low-skilled jobs in Ä°stanbul, where many settled after an earthquake
in their homeland in 1988. The exact number of Armenian immigrants in
Turkey is unknown. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in March
that Turkey could send 100,000 Armenian workers who are working in the
country without the necessary permission back to Armenia. “Look, there
are 170,000 Armenians in my country — 70,000 of them are my citizens,
but we are [tolerating] 100,000 of them [illegally] in our country.

So, what will we do tomorrow? If it is necessary, I will tell them,
‘Come on, go back to your country.’ I will do it. Why? They are not my
citizens. I am not obliged to keep them in my country,” Erdogan said.

Facing fierce criticism, Erdogan later complained that he had been
misquoted in the media, which he said misrepresented his remarks to
mean that they were targeting Turkey’s Armenian community.

The sectors that these workers prefer also change in accordance with
their home country. For example, while the Ukrainians and Armenians
mostly work in jobs related to babysitting and home cleaning, those
coming from China are generally employed in coal mines.

The employment of illegal workers brings many problems including
unemployment. Many say that it is a failure that the government has
not taken a step regarding the illegal workers, while there are still
2.7 million unemployed people in the country.

The main reason for business owners to employ illegal workers is
that illegal workers are paid wages below the official minimum wage
in Turkey, which is around TL 600 per month. The employers do not
pay insurance premiums for these workers either. Some families in
Turkey even prefer foreign nannies on the grounds that they are more
educated. The only precaution against illegal workers in Turkey is
fines imposed on them if captured.

According to a report by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security
on unregistered employment and illegal workers, illegal workers
began working in Turkey in the 1990s. The number of illegal workers
increased a short time after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
with those coming from Russia, the Balkans, Central Asia, Azerbaijan,
the Ukraine and Georgia. According to the report, the illegal workers
are generally employed by small or medium seized enterprises. The
regions where they are high in number are Marmara and the eastern
Black Sea. The report says among the sectors where these workers are
employed are: agriculture, walnut collecting, construction, carpentry,
textile, house cleaning, translation and dish washing.

According to data provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social
Security, 7,302 foreigners were given work permissions in 2004,
9,438 in 2005, 10,705 in 2006, 8,930 in 2007 and 10,705 in 2008.

From: A. Papazian

ANCA HONORS REP. SCHIFF WITH A+ GRADE

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 22, 2010 – 13:59 AMT 08:59 GMT

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) awarded Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA) with an A+ grade in recognition of his ongoing efforts
on the full range of issues important to his Armenian-American
constituents.

“The Armenian National Committee of America, along with Armenian
Americans from throughout Southern California and across our great
nation, commend Rep. Adam Schiff for his hard work in fighting for
the broad range of human rights, humanitarian, and foreign policy
issues of special concern to the Armenian American community,” said
ANCA Chairman Kenneth V. Hachikian.

“I am proud to represent a large and vibrant Armenian community, which
has so enriched our nation in every field of endeavor,” Rep. Schiff
said. “As a friend of the Armenian community, I will continue working
hard to pursue recognition for the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian
Genocide, as well was policies to ensure a better life for the Armenian
people in our communities and throughout the world.”

Schiff is the lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.
Res. 252, and has led Congressional efforts to recognize the genocide
and to press successive administrations to do the same.

Rep. Schiff also pioneered the Armenian Genocide Congressional Record
Project, part of an ongoing effort to parallel H. Res. 252. Rep.

Schiff continues to encourage survivors of the Genocide and their
families from throughout the country to participate in the project
by sending in the stories of what happened to their family during
the Genocide to Mary Hovagimian in his Pasadena office.

From: A. Papazian

MAMMADYAROV MUST HAVE “FORGOTTEN” WHICH REPUBLIC PRESENT-DAY AZERBAIJAN WAS A LEGAL SUCCESSOR TO

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 22, 2010 – 16:37 AMT 11:37 GMT

Armenia’s recognizing Nagorno Karabakh independence will be a major
mistake from international law viewpoint, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov said.

During the 1st Annual Symposium of International Relations Specialists
in Baku, he stated that “international law refers to a certain border
when recognition of independence is on agenda.”

“The UN recognized Azerbaijan’s independence within the borders of
former Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, with Nagorno Karabakh as
a part of Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Within the borders
recognized by the international community, Azerbaijan joined UN,
OSCE, CoE and other organizations. Armenians’ statements that Nagorno
Karabakh has never been a part of Azerbaijan are untrue,” 1news.az
cited him as saying.

Mammadyarov must have forgotten that after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, Azerbaijan announced itself as a legal successor to Azerbaijan
Democratic Republic, but not to Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Specifically, Article 2 of Constitutional Act of Azerbaijan Republic
on independent statehood of Azerbaijan Republic says, “Azerbaijan
Republic is a legal successor of the Azerbaijan Republic dating back

From: A. Papazian

VIVACELL-MTS, BIRTHLINK PROVIDE ARMENIAN REGIONS WITH INFANT CARE EQUIPMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 22, 2010 – 17:17 AMT 12:17 GMT

Seven maternity wards in 4 Armenian regions will be provided with
infant care equipment within the framework of joint program initiated
by VivaCell-MTS mobile operator and BirthLink British organisation.

AMD 70 million worth equipment will be installed in the hospitals of
Gyumri, Goris, Kapan, Sevan, Martuni and Berd.

The program aims at reduction of neonatal mortality in Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

PLACIDO DOMINGO TO PERFORM IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 22, 2010 – 17:46 AMT 12:46 GMT

On December 3, a sensational event will take place in Yerevan. Karen
Demirchyan Sport and Concert Complex will host the first ever concert
of renowned tenor Placido Domingo.

The concert will be organized as part of the 11th Yerevan Perspectives
International Music Festival.

General Manager of the festival Sona Hovhannisyan told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter that the orchestra will be conducted by
Israel Gursky.

Besides, Grammy award-winner Anna Maria Martinez will take the stage
with Domingo.

From: A. Papazian

MISINTERPRETED ENCYCLOPEDIA: BRITISH AND RUSSIAN PUBLISHERS DISTORTED BASIC FACTS ABOUT ARMENIA
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
22.10.10

According to the ‘Illustrated Geographical Encyclopedia’, published by
British Kingfisher Publications and Russian Makhaon publishing-house,
the main languages in Armenia are Armenian and Azerbaijani; and the
main religions are Orthodox Christianity and Islam, mainly Shia Islam.

The encyclopedia, sold in Yerevan bookstores at 10,000 drams, ($33)
was published in 2009 with 15,000 Russian copies.

“This is a terrible misinterpretation; and we must deal with it,” says
Varduhi Ishkanyan, editor-in-chief of 2,000-ciruclation Ankakh weekly,
adding that she sent a letter to the publishing house, demanding to
refute this wrong information and suspend the sale of the book.

“Keeping silence is unacceptable. The (Armenian) President’s Office is
also interested in this and they promised to support this initiative.”

The English version of the encyclopedia says: “This book is a passport
to every country on the globe. The Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia
is an authoritative, up-to-date guide to countries of the world.”

Meanwhile, Armenia’s ‘passport’ is, mildly said, misinterpreted.

Ishkhanyan believes that the wrong information about Armenia written
in the encyclopedia is not a deliberate anti-Armenian propaganda.

“If it were deliberate, even worse information would be included
there [in the encyclopedia]. Nevertheless, the authors must take a
responsibility for it, so that we can prevent such publications in
the future,” she says.

The Chamber of Lawyers of Armenia on Saturday will call a meeting to
discuss whether there may be a legal solution to the mis-information.

From: A. Papazian

HIGH POLITICS?: ALIYEV AGAIN LAYS CLAIMS ON YEREVAN, SARGSYAN ANSWERS BACK
Aris Ghazinyan

ArmeniaNow
22.10.10

Aliyev’s (right) claims meet with Sargsyan’s decisive repulse

Azeri president Ilham Aliyev in his speech in the Azeri town of Yevlakh
last week stated that “…today’s Armenia, the territories called the
Republic of Armenia are authentic Azeri lands. That’s the truth… Of
course, Zangezur, Irevan, Irevan khanate – they all are our lands.”

Aliyev’s speech pointing out Yerevan as an Azeri city hasn’t been
the first this year.

During his official visit to Tallinn in April he delivered a lecture
at the foreign ministry of Estonia stating that: “Armenians have an
Armenian state despite the fact that their state was established on
historical Azeri lands. In 1918 the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan
decided to give the city of Irevan to Armenia as its capital. Irevan
was part of Irevan khanate where Azerbaijanis used to live”.

This comes to illustrate that the “Yerevan vector” has been worked
at quite thoroughly during the past few years. It is noteworthy that
such statements are voiced on the background of complete inactivity
of international structures and, as a rule, follow this or that
statements by OSCE Minsk Group and other organizations.

Aliyev’s most recent speech of October 16 was delivered a day after
Minsk Group co-chairs’ statement.

On October 15, the co-chairs released a statement on the results of
their recent field mission to the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

In that document the mediators ventured to use phrases practically
absent from the OSCE vocabulary before: first of all they said
that the assessment mission was held at “the occupied lands of
Nagorno Karabakh”, secondly, the capital of NKR was mentioned as
Stepanakert-Khankendi (Khankendi is the Azeri name of Stepanakert),
and thirdly, the NKR authorities are defined as “factual”.

The thing is that always – even a couple of weeks before the mission
started – the territories were called “territories around Nagorno
Karabakh”, and the wording used in official documents to describe
the NKR leadership was “the elected authorities of Nagorno Karabakh”.

Those phrases were at least neutral and diplomatic.

However, this time the mediators included words and phrases in the
vocabulary that are absolutely unacceptable for the Armenian side.

Aliyev took advantage of that and spoke out with explicit territorial
claims to Armenia.

In fact the co-chairs having broken the fragile neutrality they had
managed to keep one way or another encouraged Azerbaijan in its verbal
aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Yerevan does not exclude the possibility that the format of the
Karabakh issue settlement might change if OSCE Minsk Group exhausts
itself. As Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan stated “if
the current format of negotiations on the Karabakh issue exhausts
all means, other options will be considered”.

During his meeting with reporters from Diaspora Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan devoted almost half of his speech to commenting on
the claims voiced by his Azeri counterpart.

“It is obvious that anti-Armenian fascism is advocated in Azerbaijan
and it is done systematically and at the highest level. It is not
merely about heated words or sick people suffering from nationalism,
which could easily be ignored, but rather we are dealing with a
state ideology according to which “modern Armenia was established on
historical Azeri lands”. This means that not only Artsakh [Nagorno
Karabakh], but also Yerevan, Sevan, Holy Echmiadzin are “historical
Azeri lands”. It was not long ago, actually yesterday, that the Azeri
president enlightened us on this issue.”

As for the Karabakh issue, Sargsyan said that it was Azerbaijan that
started the war, was defeated and asked for truce.

“The Azeri, in order to save face, are busy with an apology for
rhetoric claiming that Armenians won the war with the help of a third
country. Well, of course they would say that, how else can they accept
the fact that they were heavily defeated by a few Armenians. But they
lack courage to name which third party they are talking about. Well,
then tell us. Tell us, so that we can prove with facts that you are
liars. Why aren’t you naming it?”

From: A. Papazian

AMERIA ADVISORY FIRM CONTRACTED TO SUPPORT ENERGY EFFICIENCY FACILITIES IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 22, 2010 – 14:01 AMT 09:01 GMT

Ameria CJSC is contracted to develop a business plan and project
documentation for the investments by the Armenia Renewable Resources
and Energy Efficiency Fund (R2E2 Fund) into renewable energy and energy
efficiency sector. The goal of the project is to promote renewable
energy and energy efficiency sector and ensure energy security
in Armenia. The working program implemented by Ameria is aimed at
development of a strategic plan for R2E2 Fund and incorporation of a
credit organization adjacent to the Fund, ensuring relevant licenses
and registration.

All-embracing and comprehensive as it is, the program comprises an
action plan which envisages primarily research of legal framework,
development of regulatory documentation, including internal
regulations, guidelines, instructions, etc., design and description of
business processes, development of HR management related documentation,
strategic documents and midterm business plan. The program is focused
on three main directions: policy consultation, business advisory and
assistance in institutional development.

One of the main goals of the program is capacity building for the
emerging credit organization. As part of the program, Ameria will
develop the organizational chart, define the functions, duties
and authorities of the units within the organization, draft job
descriptions and documentation related to creation of institutional
memory in the course of the organization’s activity.

The key principle of these activities is to ensure feasibility
and enforceability of any document developed under the project in
daily practice, as well as employment of the project reports both as
recommendations and guidelines aimed at efficient performance.

From: A. Papazian

SMALL SIZE OF ENTERPRISES IS AMONG PROBLEMS OF ARMENIA’S AGRICULTURE

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 22, 2010 – 15:49 AMT 10:49 GMT

Rector of the Agrarian State University of Armenia (ASUA) Arshaluys
Tarverdyan said significant achievements were recorded in Armenia’s
agricultural food system over the past several years, securing 25-30%
of the country’s GDP.

Around 45% of the country’s labor force is employed in agriculture,
said Tarverdyan during an event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of
the SAUA.

“Due to support of the Armenian President, many problems of the field
are being solved, for example, rehabilitation of seed growing and
irrigation system,” he said, pointing to small size of enterprises
and undeveloped infrastructures as basic problems hampering the
development of agriculture in Armenia.

A museum of ASUA history was opened on the occasion of the University’s
anniversary.

The Agrarian State University of Armenia, one of the biggest higher
educational and scientific centers, was founded in 1994 on the basis
of the Armenian Agricultural and Yerevan Zootechnical and Veterinary
Institutes. The University has a highly qualified professorial and
pedagogical staff of 627 lecturers, 72 Doctors of Sciences and 290
Candidates of Sciences. Around 10,000 students are enrolled.

From: A. Papazian